Gift Card Scam

Okell

MSE_James said:

The gift card displays in many supermarkets now carry warning notices that gift cards can't be used to settle tax bills etc, as a result of these types of scam.

Tax bills?

RefluentBeans

Okell said:

MSE_James said:

The gift card displays in many supermarkets now carry warning notices that gift cards can't be used to settle tax bills etc, as a result of these types of scam.

Tax bills?

Yeah you’ll be surprised. Often via phone. Claiming to be ‘investigators’ and that you’ve underpaid your council tax/income tax and now owe £1000. Offering to settle for £500 now, or they’ll initiate a criminal charge for you and have you arrested. 

99% don’t fall for it - but 1% do. With phone numbers you can look up who owns them from data leaks, and get their name and other scraps of information. Sometimes that’s enough to convince someone that they’re legitimate. Plus placing pressure on someone etc. 

There’s loads of Scam Baiters online who upload them to YouTube that talk through how the scam works. Jim Browning is a UK YouTuber who uploads more UK/European scams. 

PHK

I am sympathetic OP, but as the bank did nothing g wrong, your wife is not a vulnerable person, ignored the warning when buying and was acting in an official capacity then I think it highly unlikely that you'll be able to get a refund.

The only slight possibility is that Apple will be able to cancel the gift codes (if they haven't been used). But these scammers tend to sell the codes on really quickly.

Money_Grabber13579

RefluentBeans said:

Okell said:

MSE_James said:

The gift card displays in many supermarkets now carry warning notices that gift cards can't be used to settle tax bills etc, as a result of these types of scam.

Tax bills?

Yeah you’ll be surprised. Often via phone. Claiming to be ‘investigators’ and that you’ve underpaid your council tax/income tax and now owe £1000. Offering to settle for £500 now, or they’ll initiate a criminal charge for you and have you arrested. 

99% don’t fall for it - but 1% do. With phone numbers you can look up who owns them from data leaks, and get their name and other scraps of information. Sometimes that’s enough to convince someone that they’re legitimate. Plus placing pressure on someone etc. 

There’s loads of Scam Baiters online who upload them to YouTube that talk through how the scam works. Jim Browning is a UK YouTuber who uploads more UK/European scams. 

What has that got to do with gift cards though? Is that not a completely separate scam? Of course, I’m assuming here that ‘HMRC’ don’t ring you up and say you’ve underpaid tax but if you send us a gift card, we’ll call it quits…Surely no one would fall for that?

RefluentBeans

Money_Grabber13579 said:

RefluentBeans said:

Okell said:

MSE_James said:

The gift card displays in many supermarkets now carry warning notices that gift cards can't be used to settle tax bills etc, as a result of these types of scam.

Tax bills?

Yeah you’ll be surprised. Often via phone. Claiming to be ‘investigators’ and that you’ve underpaid your council tax/income tax and now owe £1000. Offering to settle for £500 now, or they’ll initiate a criminal charge for you and have you arrested. 

99% don’t fall for it - but 1% do. With phone numbers you can look up who owns them from data leaks, and get their name and other scraps of information. Sometimes that’s enough to convince someone that they’re legitimate. Plus placing pressure on someone etc. 

There’s loads of Scam Baiters online who upload them to YouTube that talk through how the scam works. Jim Browning is a UK YouTuber who uploads more UK/European scams. 

What has that got to do with gift cards though? Is that not a completely separate scam? Of course, I’m assuming here that ‘HMRC’ don’t ring you up and say you’ve underpaid tax but if you send us a gift card, we’ll call it quits…Surely no one would fall for that?

Normally use the line ‘our banking is down’. They pile the pressure on to vulnerable people and they make mistakes. You’re right, it’s obviously a scam. But when you’re in the moment, and (in your head) facing jail time for tax evasion, you’re more likely to fall for it. 

I’m just saying that people do get scammed this way. We shouldn’t shun them for falling for it. Are they obvious? Sometimes. But we can’t blame victims when the scammers pile on the pressure to vulnerable people. Talking about it means that people will hopefully get more aware and prevent these scams happening. 

user1977

Money_Grabber13579 said:

RefluentBeans said:

Okell said:

MSE_James said:

The gift card displays in many supermarkets now carry warning notices that gift cards can't be used to settle tax bills etc, as a result of these types of scam.

Tax bills?

Yeah you’ll be surprised. Often via phone. Claiming to be ‘investigators’ and that you’ve underpaid your council tax/income tax and now owe £1000. Offering to settle for £500 now, or they’ll initiate a criminal charge for you and have you arrested. 

99% don’t fall for it - but 1% do. With phone numbers you can look up who owns them from data leaks, and get their name and other scraps of information. Sometimes that’s enough to convince someone that they’re legitimate. Plus placing pressure on someone etc. 

There’s loads of Scam Baiters online who upload them to YouTube that talk through how the scam works. Jim Browning is a UK YouTuber who uploads more UK/European scams. 

What has that got to do with gift cards though? Is that not a completely separate scam? Of course, I’m assuming here that ‘HMRC’ don’t ring you up and say you’ve underpaid tax but if you send us a gift card, we’ll call it quits…Surely no one would fall for that?

Surely nobody would fall for "hello I'm the chair of the council and I need you to buy some gift cards even though it's something we've never done before and sounds a bit weird and this might not even be an email address you've seen before"...

Not a completely separate scam really.

born_again

Money_Grabber13579 said:

RefluentBeans said:

Okell said:

MSE_James said:

The gift card displays in many supermarkets now carry warning notices that gift cards can't be used to settle tax bills etc, as a result of these types of scam.

Tax bills?

Yeah you’ll be surprised. Often via phone. Claiming to be ‘investigators’ and that you’ve underpaid your council tax/income tax and now owe £1000. Offering to settle for £500 now, or they’ll initiate a criminal charge for you and have you arrested. 

99% don’t fall for it - but 1% do. With phone numbers you can look up who owns them from data leaks, and get their name and other scraps of information. Sometimes that’s enough to convince someone that they’re legitimate. Plus placing pressure on someone etc. 

There’s loads of Scam Baiters online who upload them to YouTube that talk through how the scam works. Jim Browning is a UK YouTuber who uploads more UK/European scams. 

What has that got to do with gift cards though? Is that not a completely separate scam? Of course, I’m assuming here that ‘HMRC’ don’t ring you up and say you’ve underpaid tax but if you send us a gift card, we’ll call it quits…Surely no one would fall for that?

Of course they do... Just like every other scam you here about. 

tightauldgit

Money_Grabber13579 said:

RefluentBeans said:

Okell said:

MSE_James said:

The gift card displays in many supermarkets now carry warning notices that gift cards can't be used to settle tax bills etc, as a result of these types of scam.

Tax bills?

Yeah you’ll be surprised. Often via phone. Claiming to be ‘investigators’ and that you’ve underpaid your council tax/income tax and now owe £1000. Offering to settle for £500 now, or they’ll initiate a criminal charge for you and have you arrested. 

99% don’t fall for it - but 1% do. With phone numbers you can look up who owns them from data leaks, and get their name and other scraps of information. Sometimes that’s enough to convince someone that they’re legitimate. Plus placing pressure on someone etc. 

There’s loads of Scam Baiters online who upload them to YouTube that talk through how the scam works. Jim Browning is a UK YouTuber who uploads more UK/European scams. 

What has that got to do with gift cards though? Is that not a completely separate scam? Of course, I’m assuming here that ‘HMRC’ don’t ring you up and say you’ve underpaid tax but if you send us a gift card, we’ll call it quits…Surely no one would fall for that?

Sadly that's pretty much what they do and people do fall for it. I mean people fell for the Nigerian prince wanting to send them millions of dollars so there's always some section of people who will fall for things. I guess they prey on the vulnerable - it's just a numbers game send out enough emails or letters and you'll get a few bites. 

soolin

Money_Grabber13579 said:

RefluentBeans said:

Okell said:

MSE_James said:

The gift card displays in many supermarkets now carry warning notices that gift cards can't be used to settle tax bills etc, as a result of these types of scam.

Tax bills?

Yeah you’ll be surprised. Often via phone. Claiming to be ‘investigators’ and that you’ve underpaid your council tax/income tax and now owe £1000. Offering to settle for £500 now, or they’ll initiate a criminal charge for you and have you arrested. 

99% don’t fall for it - but 1% do. With phone numbers you can look up who owns them from data leaks, and get their name and other scraps of information. Sometimes that’s enough to convince someone that they’re legitimate. Plus placing pressure on someone etc. 

There’s loads of Scam Baiters online who upload them to YouTube that talk through how the scam works. Jim Browning is a UK YouTuber who uploads more UK/European scams. 

What has that got to do with gift cards though? Is that not a completely separate scam? Of course, I’m assuming here that ‘HMRC’ don’t ring you up and say you’ve underpaid tax but if you send us a gift card, we’ll call it quits…Surely no one would fall for that?

If  people didn’t fall for it then the scammers wouldn’t bother. Are people any less likely to fall for it if they think HMRC are asking them to get the cards rather than someone at their place of employment? It is the same scam . 

The HMRC scam is an oldie but still occasionally comes up in forums etc and even in the press where people have believed it.

https://www.actionfraud.police.uk/alert/alert-hmrc-and-itunes-gift-card-scam

even HMRC felt the need to make a public warning about it some years ago

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/hmrc-issues-christmas-warning-about-itunes-gift-card-scam

Money_Grabber13579

user1977 said:

Money_Grabber13579 said:

RefluentBeans said:

Okell said:

MSE_James said:

The gift card displays in many supermarkets now carry warning notices that gift cards can't be used to settle tax bills etc, as a result of these types of scam.

Tax bills?

Yeah you’ll be surprised. Often via phone. Claiming to be ‘investigators’ and that you’ve underpaid your council tax/income tax and now owe £1000. Offering to settle for £500 now, or they’ll initiate a criminal charge for you and have you arrested. 

99% don’t fall for it - but 1% do. With phone numbers you can look up who owns them from data leaks, and get their name and other scraps of information. Sometimes that’s enough to convince someone that they’re legitimate. Plus placing pressure on someone etc. 

There’s loads of Scam Baiters online who upload them to YouTube that talk through how the scam works. Jim Browning is a UK YouTuber who uploads more UK/European scams. 

What has that got to do with gift cards though? Is that not a completely separate scam? Of course, I’m assuming here that ‘HMRC’ don’t ring you up and say you’ve underpaid tax but if you send us a gift card, we’ll call it quits…Surely no one would fall for that?

Surely nobody would fall for "hello I'm the chair of the council and I need you to buy some gift cards even though it's something we've never done before and sounds a bit weird and this might not even be an email address you've seen before"...

Not a completely separate scam really.

I guess my thinking was that it could be a lot more plausible that a council chief might ask a staff member to get hold of a few gift cards to reward staff, prizes for a recycling competition etc than it would be for HMRC to start asking for payment of tax in gift cards. After all, what is the government going to do with thousands of gift cards if everyone opted to pay their tax in that manner (if it were possible)?